Around noon, on the last Saturday in January, my wife and I attempted to take a snowmobile ride to get lunch at one of the local snowmobile trail stops. Our ride was cut short, however, when my wife’s snowmobile developed a fire under the hood. She stopped, and with the help of others on the trail, we all tried to extinguish the fire with large quantities of snow. After repeated attempts to douse the flames, it became obvious the fire was out of control, so we all had to back away and let the snowmobile burn. I used my cell phone to dial 911 and was helped by a very courteous and efficient operator.

The operator relayed our location and problem to the Nokomis Volunteer Fire Department, and advised me that help was on the way. I thanked her for her help, and thought to myself – “this might take awhile!”

How wrong I was! I still cannot believe how fast these firefighters arrived at the scene! Five or six men showed up, in full gear, and with proper equipment for this type of fire. They very quickly had the fire, and the situation, under control. The fire chief also made arrangements for the immediate removal of the destroyed machine. The time frame of the entire incident (from the start of the fire – to removal of the machine) was less than one hour. I believe that this is amazing service!

I tip my hat to the Nokomis volunteers, and all of our local firefighters! Your training, knowledge and professionalism are to be commended. Our neighborhoods are a much safer place to live due to your unselfish dedication!